DRY STONE WORK - International Specialised Skills Institute

InternationalSpecialisedSkillsInstitute IncDRY STONE WORKFellowship ReportGRAPHICDavid LongMaster Builders Association of Victoria/ISS Institute FellowshipFellowship funded by theMaster Builders Association of VictoriaISS Institute Inc.2003 ©

InternationalSpecialisedSkillsInstituteISS InstituteSuite 101685 Burke RoadCamberwell VicAUSTRALIA 3124Telephone03 9882 0055Facsimile03 9882 9866Emailissi.ceo@pacific.net.auWebwww.issinstitute.org.auPublished by International Specialised Skills Institute, Melbourne.ISS Institute101/685 Burke RoadCamberwell 3124AUSTRALIAAlso extract published on www.issinstitute.org.au© Copyright ISS Institute 2003This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordancewith the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.Whilst this report has been accepted by ISS Institute, ISS Institute cannot provide expert peerreview of the report, and except as may be required by law no responsibility can be acceptedby ISS Institute for the content of the report, or omissions, typographical, print or photographicerrors, or inaccuracies that may occur after publication or otherwise. ISS Institute do not acceptresponsibility for the consequences of any action taken or omitted to be taken by any person asa consequence of anything contained in, or omitted from, this report.

Table of Contents:Acknowledgements Page 2Introduction Pages 3-19The Fellowship Program Pages 20-41Recommendations Pages 42-47Appendix 1 – Glossary of Terms Pages 48-49Appendix 2 – List of Reference Materials Page 50Appendix 3 – List of Supporting Documents Page 51Appendix 4 – A Special Note of Thanks Page 52-53ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 1

2. INTRODUCTION2.1.1 International Specialised Skills InstituteThe International Specialised Skills Institute Inc (ISS Institute) fills gaps inindustries and enterprises where the means of doing so are not availablethrough government programs or Australian TAFE institutes and universities.ISS Institute• Explores opportunities in design and skills (traditional and leading-edge)and identifies knowledge gaps towards establishing a range ofcollaborative projects with industry, professional associations, firms,education and training institutions and government.• Identifies experts in diverse areas of design, master level trades andprofessional occupations in established and emerging industry sectors withthe intent to effect their services to visit Victoria to conduct a range ofeducation and training activities such as workshops, lectures andexhibitions.The way in which this is achieved is by building global partnerships throughthe Fellowship program, then the fellow sharing what he/she has learntoverseas through education and training activities – one fellowship; manybenefits.ISS Institute’s operations are directed towards bringing knowledge andleading-edge technologies to Australian industry, business andeducation/training institutes, rebuilding specialised skills and knowledge,which are disappearing, or have been lost in order to build the capabilities ofindustry and business and to maximise opportunities in the global and localmarketplace.The result of their work has been highly effective in the creation of newbusiness enterprises, the development of existing business and the return oflost skills and knowledge to the workforce, thus creating jobs.Enormous benefits can be gained from working with ISS Institute through theiroverseas Fellowship program, education and training activities.Since 1999, the Victorian government, through OTTE, has financiallysupported ISS Institute, as its major sponsor.ISS Institute proudly acknowledges the following sponsors • AustralianMulticultural Foundation • Palladio Foundation • RMIT University • DeakinUniversity.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 3

2.1.3 Dry Stone Work – clarification and classificationWhen talking about dry stone work; I am offering clarification betweenstandard dry stone walling structure and that of dry stone work, that can bewith forethought be commissioned in the urban or rural landscaped setting.In Section 2.2, I discuss the historical and Australian perspective of dry stonewalling. It is important to understand that the stone used in dry stone workwhilst it may have been quarried, has not undergone any dressing with sawsor abrasive materials.Stone is collected directly from the land and/or from a quarry and in its rawstate is used for the construction of a structure.The stone requirements, in the landscaped setting when undertaking featuredry stone work are somewhat different to that of the stone requirement of astandard dry stone wall. This is due to the structural requirements along withthe very nature of the stone.In order to build features that would integrate into a landscaped setting (suchas the use of archways leading from one area to another or seat constructionto serve as a focal point within the garden setting or stairways and steps thatcould be constructed in a dry stone fashion – that is without the aid of bondingagents) it is necessary to use coursed flat bedded stone.When attending the Dry Stone Walling Congress in Visp, there were manyspeakers over the three days presenting papers from all over the world.Probably the most single standout point during almost all of the presentationswas the fact that coursed flat bedded stone was the common denominator.With stone so readily available on a local basis and so easily adaptable to anyconstruction situation it made for all manner of construction from houses tofarm sheds to cold storage rooms to conduits into which rainfall could bechannelled and terracing on hillsides for agricultural pursuits. It was used inthe construction of landscape garden features where structural integrity is soimportant in free standing structures.This particular stone and its coursed flat bedded nature will be discussedfurther into the report; giving an insight as to how the geological differencesbetween stone types and their location and their commercial viability hasplayed a significant role in its inability to raise the profile of dry stonewalling/work into the urban psyche.Here is in Victoria moreover than any other state we have only small depositsof such workable stone. Deposits are found in Central Victoria aroundCastlemaine and a small limestone quarry near Penshurst (The Grampians).These quarries are either run by small family concerns or by a singleowner/operator. These operations are the complete opposite to the hugerock crushing quarries found in other areas around the State.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 5

I think this situation – locality and commercial viability of these small deposits– has been the reason why dry stone work has not played a leading role inany adaptation into the built environment outside the rural landscape where itwas first established for very practical reasons.Dry stone walling/work has never been seen by the greater populous withinthe State as any more useful other than dividing and marking out thelandscape.The quarrying of stone to be used in dimensional stone building constructionhas always been seen as a completely different sphere to that of dry stonewalling construction.The building stonemason has been recognised and highly regarded and is anoccupation where there has been an ongoing educational system; set upwhich has been allied with other forms of building construction ever sincecivilization became serious about building.Unfortunately, for dry stone walling it has had very grass root evolution and isnot seen on the same grand scale as quarried dimensional stone, specificallycut and fitted into position to construct grand buildings that have impressedthe civilized world as different civilizations started to trade and outdo oneanother.For the man on the land stone that hindered the working of fields either incropping or the raising of animals was seen as a labour intensive but at thebottom end of the scale activity that had to be performed as far farm incomesgo. And the fact that the stone could be used in constructing strong, longlasting boundaries a bonus.2.2 An Historical and Australian Perspective – Nature and CurrentSituationDry stone walls have been constructed in many parts of the world forthousands of years. The Walls of Jericho, Inca fortresses, prehistoric Bronzeand Iron Age farmsteads such as Carn Brae and the Isle of Scilly in Britain -all contain examples of the technique of placing one stone on another withoutany bonding material between them to construct a permanent wall.Dry stone walls are also found throughout Europe as well as Asia, Americaand Africa – in Zimbabwe intricate dry stone walls can be found which arecenturies old.The most prolific period of wall building in Britain dates from the mid-16 thcentury and later, when enclosure of the formerly open common farming landoccurred. The development of a major wool textile industry from the mid1500’s saw improvements in stock breeding and management.Fundamental to this wool boom was the provision of fenced grazing paddocksinstead of the old open pastures. As farming became more intensive andextensive, and the landed gentry and farmers became more businesslike, theISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 6

peasant farms and commons were progressively replaced by pastoral estatesand tenant farmers. The need for clear boundaries in the new system, andthe containment of stock, led to wall building on an unprecedented scale intothe 17 th and 18 th centuries, often backed up by Government legislation in theform of the Acts of Enclosure.By 1850 virtually all the farm walls had been built in Britain and theconstruction methods developed in the 18 th century have remained practicallyunchanged. Regional styles also developed, based on the nature of theavailable stone, local environment, the intended use, and local traditions.The type of stone probably had the greatest influence in the visualcharacteristics of the walls.It was the Enclosure Movement back in the 17 th and 18 th centuries that gaveGreat Britain that direct link to Australia.This period of the 17 th and 18 th centuries saw wall building being undertakenin Great Britain on an unprecedented scale. It was a direct result of theEnclosure Movement, which continued until the nineteenth century, and had adramatic effect on the landscape of Britain. In lowland Britain the hedgerowbecame the most common method of enclosure, while in the upland areas itwas the dry stone wall, built entirely without mortar of any kind.With the discovery of new lands – America & Australia – migrants took skills ofdry stone walling to the newly settled lands. With the same agriculturalpractices came the same crafts as refined in their land of origin. In Australia,dry stone walling appeared in all parts of the country where Europeansettlement first took root. That is, where there was also a ready source ofavailable local stone.Victoria has more dry stone walls than any other state in the country and thenetwork of walls in the Western District comprises the greatest group of wallsin terms of number, length, height and overall size.In New South Wales, dry stone walls occur in a few locations, Kyama (wherethe walls have obtained World Heritage Listing), Bowral and Lennox Heads.In Tasmania, dry stone walls can be found in association with several earlysettlements, but there are few extensive field walls. A few examples of drystone walls have been identified in South Australia (Robe – one of Australia’sfirst ports of call for migrating prospectors heading for the goldfields inVictoria); Western Australia (areas around Fremantle – generally constructedfrom limestone) and Queensland (Bundaberg). Contrary to popular belief, thewalls throughout Australia were not built by convicts, but by craftsmenemployed by free settlers.The landscape was given new form and function by the migrants who beganarriving about the middle of the 19 th century. The early migrants who arrivedbefore the gold rushes were English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh and Cornish whowere used to using stone built the walls in Victoria’s Western District.Stone material played a part in determining style; the denser basaltic stone inISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 7

generally low, massive walls, and the lighter volcanic enabling narrower wallsdue to better grip between stones.Other European migrants who settled in Victoria brought their skills to thegoldfields. Whilst the stone and the landscape of their home countries weresometimes different, the waller/stonemason adapted his skills and learnt toeffectively use the available stone.Dry stone construction is found in several other parts of the State - in thegoldfields area around Maldon, Castlemaine, Chewton and Walhalla wherewalls and some buildings were constructed from sandstone. Thesestructures were mainly built by Swiss, Italian and German immigrants andwere different in the type of stone and in the style of construction from thosebuilt in the Western District. This was because of the difference of localavailable stone types. The Swiss, Italians and Germans whose dry stoneskills had come from the fact that their homeland stone was of a similar natureto the stone where they were settling – coursed flat bedded stone. This workhas been identified more around Central Victoria than anywhere else in theState.Time management of technological advances brought with it increasedproduction requirements and labour costs. This moved the emphasis awayfrom traditional farming practices to more innovative and cheaper avenues forfarming practices. Dry stone walling was seen as an expensive form offencing in the short term and the farm gate returns were tied to this thinking.Why were dry stone walls constructed in Victoria?There are a number of possibilities that have been considered – clearing thefields of the over-abundant supply of loose volcanic stone, availability ofrelatively cheap labour and skilled immigrants, protection from rabbit plagues,and continuation of the traditional use of stones as a fencing material duringthe 19 th century in Britain. It appears that the easier availability of wire andhigher wages resulted in a decline in full construction of stone walls after the1880’s.The Depression effectively brought an end to the wallers craft in the 1930’sand by the 1960’s (more than 100 years after the first stone walls were built inWestern Victoria) dry stone walling was considered a dying art. By the1960’s the generation of wallers who had been constructing walls in the firsthalf of the 20 th century had reached retirement age and the relevant skills andexpertise had not been taught to the next generation, as technology waschanging the landscape forever.Until the last ten years, dry stone walling in Australia was basically confined torural Australia where the craft was practiced mainly to construct fences andproperty boundaries. In more recent times, landscape designers haveincorporated dry stone walling techniques into domestic garden designs.Edna Walling, for instance, possibly Australia’s greatest landscape designer,dominated gardening in Australia for nearly half a century. She incorporatedISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 8

dry stone walling in some of her garden designs. Her designs becameincreasingly popular with the broader general public in the 1930’s-1950.Edna Walling was born in Yorkshire in 1895 and at the age of 19 her familyhad settled in Australia and embraced the Australian way of life sowholeheartedly that she never returned to her native homeland. Childhoodmemories of walks across the moors remained with her throughout the years.She spent two years at Burnley Horticultural College and was in the first tideof women undertaking a line of study not previously open to females – hermother had convinced the Principal of the College that Edna was “artistic”, yetEdna and her mother had not discussed the possibility of Edna undertakinglandscape design.On leaving Burnley, Edna found herself earning a living “doing people’sgardens”. This uninspiring work continued and Walling’s antipathy forgardens grew deeper and deeper until the pivotal day she came upon a stonewall supporting a semi-circular terrace at “Kildrummie”, Holbrook, NSW. Thestone wall was Edna’s first major country design in New South Walescommissioned by the Carnegie family. She said that “from then on, gardensfor me became a chance to carry out the architectural designs in my head”.This was the single most influential point in a career that would make her ahousehold name. By 1927 she was being hailed in the popular press of theday as “Melbourne’s famous landscape gardener” and “a genius at her job”.Edna had been greatly influenced earlier in her formative years of the Englishgarden design movement, in particular, Gertrude Jekyll, and Inigo Triggs.Edna Walling died in 1973, but her ideas live on through her writings and hergardens. Her magic was an ability to create gardens not as status symbols,but as enticing places of rest for body and mind.Edna was the first person from urban beginnings to realise the value of stonestructures when constructed into architectural garden designs and could dowhat the man on the land had been using them for since Australia had its firstdry stone wallers but in a much more sophisticated manner – the creation ofspace within an even bigger space.Victoria’s Western District is one of the world’s great basalt plains. The plainsare dotted with dormant and extinct volcanoes, which have poured out thestones, which then covered the plains. These are igneous rocks – regardedas the source of all other rocks – being the products of molten magma fromdeep in the earth’s crust. Some have cooled slowly at depth and have thenbeen uplifted and exposed by erosion either very locally or over larger areas.Others cooled quickly when erupted from volcanoes. The slower the cooling,the larger the individual crystals. These are very visible in granite or gabbrobut very small in basalt.There are no bedding planes in igneous rocks and many of them are eithertoo hard to be easily dressed with a hammer, or brittle and splintery.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 9

Therefore, they tend to provide irregular lumps that are not suitable forregularly coursed walls.The rabbit wall started at Lake Corangamite and ran through to LakePurrumbete, Western District, VictoriaSometimes natural planes of weakness, joints, occur in igneous rocks havingdeveloped originally with contraction on cooling: basalt and dolerite developjointing into roughly hexagonal columns. Granite has more massive verticaland horizontal joints. Exposed rock is vulnerable to physical and chemicalweathering so these joints open up and are then exploited in quarries.The stones of Central Victoria are metamorphic rocks which were formedwhen sedimentary rocks (sandstones, shales, limestones {around certainparts of The Grampians and back towards Penshurst} and occasionallyigneous rocks) have been subjected to high temperature and pressure. Theyhave recrystallised to change their texture. Roughly, sandstone has becomequartzite or schist; mudstone has become slate and limestone becomes truemarble. Australia imports marble from Italy for the construction industry.A coursed wall using Castlemaine sandstone, Chewton, VictoriaISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 10

The pressure has caused most metamorphic rocks to develop new planes ofparting, sometimes at an angle to the original bedding surfaces, which areusually fused solid and not recognisable. These “cleavage planes” can behighly useful to wallers because the rock can be split as along beddingplanes. This is particularly prevalent in works being carried out in parts ofBritain and Kentucky, USA.Quarried stone with cleavage planes, Kentucky, USAThe very nature of the stone available in the Western District of Victoriacompared with the stone available in Central Victoria are completely differentin their geological formation and therefore the ways in which the stone couldbe used in constructing garden feature work.There are many other stone quarries that are in production such as HillviewQuarry on the Mornington Peninsula which quarries a granite rock. Thesequarries break out rock by blasting the stone in an open cut mining operation.This rock is put through a massive rock crushing machine so that it can begraded and used in the general construction industry – mainly by way of roadmakingand concrete industry which is the quarries major source ofrevenue/income. By agreement, the quarries will allow selectiveappropriation. I classify this stone in the same category as basalt fieldboulders, as the way the stone has been mined and by its very nature leavesno planes in its geological structure that can be utilised as with flat beddedstone from around the Castlemaine region.The stone used in large regions around Western Victoria is of a volcanicformation, which was expediently and economically gathered and built intofence and property surrounds so that paddocks/fields could be grazed withoutany hindrance to stock. The volcanic rocks are suitable for wall constructiononly and they are not open to application outside of dry stone walls and anoccasional variation such as tank stands.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 11

In other areas such as Central Victoria, local stone is a sedimentary stone,which has been quarried and because of the nature of the stone can be laid incourses not too dissimilar to standard bricklaying. This makes the stonemore adaptable to use in a variety of features, which can be relevant tolandscape garden design.With the use of alternative fencing methods in recent times, the coming oftechnology and rapid suburbanization of rural regions and the changinglandscapes; the demand for stone construction decreased until there wereonly a few craftsmen surviving and dry stone walling almost died out.The craft of dry stone walling is a very labour intensive operation and requiresa degree of knowledge of stone and its uses and constraints.The scope to which dry stone walling can be implemented has not beenrecognised much beyond the districts where dry stone walls originated. Thisis because:! The construction of dry stone walls is slow and backbreakingwork in comparison to the ease with which post and wire fencing canbe built.! Whilst the walls can far outlast almost any other construction, thecost of constructing a dry stone wall far outweighs the cost of atimber and wire fence. The time factor plays a big role to propertyowners in the collection of stone on their properties is limited.To pay someone to collect stone is expensive. It is still cheaper tolook at new alternative fencing technology.! Even in the urban setting, possibly for landscape garden features, it isdue to the extractive nature of sedimentary stone that costs are greatlydistorted by the time construction has taken place in sites far removedfrom the stone’s origin.Even with the advent of modern technology in fencing materials (timber andwire), no other materials match the longevity of dry stone walls.Australia’s tyranny of distance still plays a role in the costs of transportationand construction of dry stone work as compared with local stone availability inthe countries I visited during my Fellowship.Quarrying of stone within Central Victoria is also becoming an increasingconcern to the extent that small quarries, which supply stone for buildingconstruction, are being slowly shut down as proprietors retire from theindustry. The licensing system in recent times has had a dramatic impact onthe supply of materials. The guidelines set down by both the Department ofMines and the Department of Natural Resources & Environment has greatlyimpacted on the owners’ abilities to extract stone from their existing claims.The impetus for this has come about through a push to protect the remnantsof box-ironbark forests which take in a large biodiversity of threatened floraISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 12

and fauna and which stretch from Wodonga on the New South Wales/Victoriaborder through as far west as Stawell. This takes in Central Victoria’s smallstone extractive industry.A couple of interest groups have been formed in Central Victoria since theturning of the State Forest into a National Park. In March 2001, the BushUsers Group for the Mt Alexander Region was established in March 2001 torepresent the wider community interests in the State Forests and otherassociated public land. One of BUG’s aims has been to preserve the historicand existing rights of recreational and commercial users of the bushlands inthe Mt Alexander region.Two years ago the Construction Material Processors Association (CMPA) wasformed by a group of concerned small quarry owners. The current Chairmanis Mr Ron Kerr, owner of a small scoria/gravel quarry in Beveridge. TheAssociation is deeply concerned that with the Environment ConservationCouncil’s attitude regarding “the need for continued rationalisation of smallextraction operations to reduce the level of disturbance; decisions on quarrysiting and operating standards”. CMPA believes that operators existing withinareas that have now become National Parks will face difficulties in that theywill not be able to expand their operations, or maintain their current licencestatus, due to the sensitive land use issue and, over time, will be slowly forcedout of business. CMPA is also concerned that the opening of new extractiveindustry operations on freehold land abutting the National Parks areinevitable.The two main quarries extracting sedimentary stone which can be readilyused in dry stone feature work take up .07% of the total area within this newlycreated National Park. The quarries supply the Melbourne market and arethe only two quarries in Victoria with this particular stone type.If these quarries are forced to close over time because of the licensing systemstone would need to be imported from other States and overseas to take upthe market share understanding that the colour and texture of the stone arenot available and would be lost for future use. Both these quarries have beenmanaged and run by the same families since the original licences weregranted – over 50 years.The dying craft and the scattered nature of stone work in Australia means thatany practitioners work in isolation and have no established networks to lobbythe relevant Government Departments under which the quarrying of stonetakes place in some districts.Added to this is the cost structure of their product onto the retail market. Itmust be understood that stone from these quarries is more often sold on asurface square metre rate and not on a cubic metre rate – therefore adding tocosts.It is only in recent years that dry stone walls and their derivations have beenconstructed for functional and decorative purposes as part of public anddomestic landscaping. As municipalities reach a higher standard ofISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 13

infrastructure funds have been invested into public artworks and featurescombining local contemporary and historical themes. The rare privateindividual will undertake a commission of varying scale depending on thefunds they have available for such feature work.Edna Walling’s early use of dry stone walling techniques in landscape designcould be expanded considerably to using sedimentary stone in a variety ofapplications such as pathways, seating, level changes, terracing andcommissions such as those described below.Examples of public works are listed below.The City of Broadmeadows has constructed an impressive stoneentrance to the Broadmeadows Valley Park, Broadmeadows, VictoriaThe Corangamite Arts Council, with funding from the Victorian ArtsCouncil, constructed an entranceway to the township of Terang,VictoriaISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 14

.Construction of the entranceway to township of Terang – using volcanicstoneThe Environmental Sculpture Park, located on Herring Island (YarraRiver, South Yarra, Melbourne), has constructed sedimentary stonefeatures using the principles of dry stone walling. The stone used wasfrom Taradale, Victoria. Sculpture was designed by artist Ellen José(above)ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 15

Private Commission – Mornington Peninsula.I have been undertaking a private commission on the Mornington Peninsula(see photo below) for the past 3 years. My commission was to undertakelandscape design works, which will incorporate various walls – all of which areon a grand scale.There are some contractors who are acknowledging the marketplace, and bybuilding their version of dry stone walls, without sound basic training areplacing pressure on an already fragile industry.In the same field there are migrants who have come from UK bringing withthem their skills and expertise. An occasional tourist with a working visacomes to Australia and undertakes small commissions in his travels.There is a danger of dry stone walling falling into disrepute because of thelack of training programs being available. Small courses can be undertaken inbasic dry stone walling but none within the mainstream education system.Currently, stone work techniques and practices are limited to the following:• Landscaping education through TAFE colleges touch on the topic ofpaving using natural stone along with manufactured products.• Education in the Building Industry, through the TAFE system, doesprovide for a stonemason course in dimensional stone as found inarchitecturally designed buildings.• Stonemasons, through the TAFE system, learn of all facets of stoneconstruction. Dry stone walling is not seen as part of this curriculum.To revive and translate the craft of dry stone work into contemporarylandscape culture requires the techniques and the possibilities being exploredin a variety of disciplines, in particular Landscape & Horticultural practiceswithin the TAFE system. Courses could also be established to incorporatedifferent layers within the building industry, - engineers, urban designers,landscape architects, and architects.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 16

2.3 Organisations that impact on the IndustryDepartment of Natural Resources & EnvironmentDepartment of MinesLocal statutory bodies (local municipalities who have identified an interest inheritage and recreational value)Parks VictoriaQuarries – for stone availabilityRoyal Australian Institute of ArchitectsLandscape Industry AssociationHeritage VictoriaNational TrustInternational Council on Monuments & SitesAustralian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material IncHistorical SocietiesEducation –One day short Courses carried out on weekends are undertaken throughFood and Land Resources Department, Melbourne University at GlenormistonCollege (there are no more than six per annum).2.4 Aim of the FellowshipThis International Specialised Skills Institute (ISS Inc) Fellowship wassponsored by the Master Builders Association of Victoria.The aim of the Fellowship was to undertake a study tour on various aspects ofdry stone walling, in particular: Design; Construction techniques; Differenttypes of stone, and their selection applied in, new construction of walls in bothcommercial and domestic environments and restoration of historical works inSwitzerland, Great Britain and USA.2.5 The Skills GapIn 1990, following some 20 years of working in Landscape Gardening Idecided that to benefit my professional and personal development I wouldsearch for an aspect of landscape gardening in which to specialise. I decidedto follow a line of stonework that I discovered had almost ceased to bepracticed in Australia. In fact, in the early 1990’s I found there were almostno practitioners in Australia. After a considerable search, I discovered twoVictorian practitioners:Nathan Perkins: a young man who in 1991 returned to Australia afterspending 12 months undertaking dry stone walling courses throughout UKand Scotland. Nathan achieved the distinction of being the only personoutside of the UK who had achieved the highest level available – MasterCraftsman in Dry Stone Walling. Nathan was the recipient of a scholarshipfrom The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Trust for Young Australians.Following his return to Australia, Nathan commenced running weekend shortcourses in various locations around Victoria. Over several weekendsISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 17

throughout 1992 I travelled around Victoria learning and studying alongsideNathan Perkins and other participants of his courses. This afforded me theopportunities to not only work in different locations but also with different typesof stone.Unfortunately, Nathan no longer conducts these courses and has left theindustry.Bill Harlock: an elderly gentleman in the Western District of Victoria who hadlearnt the craft from his father.Prior to his death in 1999 I spent several months with Bill Harlock whobecame a valuable contact and a good friend.It was Bill who later recommended me to Ruth Pollard (Glenormiston College)where I took over his part in handing on skills in a teaching capacity followingBill’s ongoing poor health.There are no formal courses available in Australia in this craft. However,since I have gained valuable experience and understanding in the craft I havebeen conducting, through University of Melbourne at Glenormiston College inNoorat (Western District), a series of practical day courses in dry stone wallingconstruction. The courses have been conducted alongside Ruth Pollard, aformer College Tutor who was also (for a long period of time) in charge of themaintenance program for the College gardens. The courses have attractedpeople from different walks of life around Victoria and have been very wellattended.Dry stone walling not only requires expertise in placing stone it also requiresconsiderable expertise in the construction of the wall. I have been unable tolocate experts in the engineering field who are able to assist in thespecifications on constructions of walls above 1-2 metres in height.I am currently working on a dry stone walling project on the MorningtonPeninsula. One aspect of the project has been the construction of a drystone wall to a height of over 4 metres.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 18

To enable construction of the wall I was forced to seek the assistance of areport emanating from Scotland. In fact, initially I had to seek the support of amaster craftsman and his team from Scotland.The above truly highlights the skills gap and knowledge in Australia.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 19

3.0 THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM3.1 IntroductionThe nature of the Fellowship program was to attend a Dry Stone Congress inVisp, Switzerland.Following the Congress I traveled to Great Britain to meet and discuss variousaspects of dry stone work with members of the Dry Stone Walling Associationof Great Britain. To undertake this I traveled to the Isle of Skye in Scotland tothe Cotswold District in UK. From my past association with Nathan Perkinsand my experiences with the private commission I am undertaking, it wasobvious that the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain weredemonstrating best practice in this area.Through my contact with the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain Imet Neil Rippingale, a Scot who assisted me initially in the construction ofearly works on the private commission on the Mornington Peninsula. Neilcame to Australia for a period of 2 months to provide me with expertknowledge. Following his return to Scotland Neil and I conducted regularcorrespondence. I subsequently discovered that Neil had traveled toLexington, Kentucky to work with the Dry Stone Conservancy in USA. TheConservancy mainly undertakes heritage projects throughout eastern States –an increasing task.The work in Lexington is a large project in progress. To increase myknowledge of dry stone work I took the opportunity of visiting the Dry StoneConservancy in Lexington, meet with Neil and members of the Conservancyto see how the dry stone walling industry in America practices.An important aspect of my attendance at the Congress in Visp was thediscovery that members of the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britainhad provided a focus for skills gaps in Switzerland in theagricultural/horticultural/viticultural industry.Report Author (left) with representatives from 6 countries, during anexcursion, 8 th International Dry Stone Congress, Visp, SwitzerlandISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 20

3.2 Host Organisations and Industry/Education Visits8 th International Drystone Walling Congress 2002 – Visp, SwitzerlandThursday 29 – Saturday 31 August 2002Main Subject: Drystone Walls in Alpine Regions.This was chosen as the main subject for the Congress because drystonewalls are encountered mainly in mountainous regions. 2002 was also theInternational Year of the Mountains as proclaimed by the UN.The goals of the Congress were to:• Further awareness for drystone constructions as landscape elementsand as ecologically valuable habitats.• Spreading and exchanging knowledge about correct building andmaintenance.• Presenting research projects in the field of drystone constructions.The participants of the Congress were:• All persons interested in drystone construction.• Members of nature conservancy and environmental organisations,specialists for footpath and trail construction, area planning andtourism, council representatives, civil servants and further individualsinterested in the conservation of nature, heritage and countryside.• Specialists and researchers for building, monument conservation,architecture, garden and landscape planning, agriculture andsilviculture, anthropology, history, geography, biology.More than 50 speakers from Algeria, Australia, Cyprus, France, Great Britain,Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the USA presented various aspects ofdrystone construction and heritage.The Congress takes place every two years in a European country, withdifferent bodies having been responsible for the organisation up to now.Previous congresses have been held in Greece, Italy, France and Spain,however also having attracted participants from Mediterranean countries, theNear East, Great Britain and the USA and now Australia.The Congress brought home to me the depth and breadth that dry stonewalling has had on civilization. Throughout Europe in every country there areexamples of dry stone walling used in agricultural/horticultural practices.These have been kept in tact through the generations as it has been seen tobe the best way to naturally care for the surrounding landscape and controlsoil erosion so that agricultural practices can be continued.The Congress was an important opportunity for me to meet and talk withpeople interested in dry stone construction from other countries. Particularlyvaluable to the Congress were the two guided excursions to notable drystoneconstructions in Valais.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 21

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Zeneggen’s cultivated landscapeThe village of Zeneggen lies above the town of Visp in the canton of Valais, atan altitude of 1400 metres. It is very sunny and with little precipitation.Agriculture in the fields and pastures, many of which are terraced withdrystone walls, has always required irrigation.The water is supplied from distant streams and wells via a 12km long systemof irrigation-canals called “Suonen”. Some of these canals are constructed indrystone work (walls and paving), others consist of hollowed-out tree trunks.The combination of extensive farming, drystone work and canals result in aneco-system which allows many threatened animal and plant species tosurvive.The labour-intensive maintenance of the canals and walls and also the nolonger economical extensive farming mean that the preservation ofZeneggen’s cultivated landscape is increasingly threatened. The FondsLandscaft Schweiz, a fund which is concerned with the preservation,maintenance, and reconstruction of these cultivated landscapes well adaptedISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 24

to the natural environment, has participated in a project since 1999. Some ofthe costs are also borne by the Swiss Confederation, the Canton of Valais andthe community of Zenegeen.Part of this project is the reconstruction of drystone walls and since 1999specialists and people undertaken civil-service duty have repaved footpaths,rebuilt path-retaining walls and renovated the foundation wall of an historicgrain-store.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 25

GREAT BRITAIN:2 September – 8 September, 2002I undertook a number of site visits as outlined below to see how dry stonewalling could be used in various applications and to gain furtherunderstanding of the history of dry stone walling.Cradle to grave generational growth of civilizations has shown that stone workin both dimensional and dry stone construction has been a large part ofhuman existence. European settlement has only come in the last couple ofhundred years to countries such as Australian and USA – Britain has such avast array of stone work in many different variations of stone and usagebecause of its human history.Isle of SkyeThrough my association with Neil Rippingale of Edinburgh, I contactedSeamus Campbell, a Master Craftsman of the Dry Stone Walling Associationof Great Britain. Seamus lives on the Isle of Skye and undertakescommissions throughout his district.The souterrain was constructed of dry stone walls and stone lintels tie the twoouter walls together to create the underground passage. Although its originaluse is not documented, it was thought to have been a possible storage areafor grain, etc. and/or as a shelter in times of danger.A souterrain – an underground chamber/passageway that isapproximately 2,000 years oldISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 26

Historical “black house” – which is an early Scottish residence constructedentirely by dry stone walling techniques to withstand gale force winds thathave had an impact both on the way people lived and the natural landscape.Some parts of the Isle are quite barren and windswept.Black house, Isle of SykeBoat ramp – A different type of application of dry stone walling in thattechniques were used to construct foundations for the boat ramp. This wasparticularly interesting due to the fact that the technique was applied in anarea where there was wave and water action.Lindley Park – is a private residence where Seamus has undertaken someconstruction work over a period of time in areas identified as requiring muchneeded attention. In particular, a dry stone retaining wall with steps by abrook because over time water erosion had impacted on this area a dry stoneretaining wall was undertaken to reclaim the area so that an entrancewaycould be constructed. Seamus has also constructed a small retaining wallfrom local stone to contain a vegetable garden.Maintenance Steps built into wall faceISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 27

We also visited an entranceway to a private residence where Seamus hadconstructed a Front boundary fence and entranceway – of particular interestwas the circular pillar construction each side of the entranceway. It isunusual to find circular rock constructions and showed yet another applicationfor the craft.Random stone wall, Isle of SkyeLucarty (outside Edinburgh)Again, through my association with Neil Rippingale, I contacted Ian Dewar,Foundation member (but now retired) of Dry Stone Walling Association ofGreat Britain. I was particularly keen to discuss historical aspects of wallingand of the founding of the Association with Ian.The re-birth of dry stone walling in English speaking countries has been led bythe Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain. Its influence hasspawned regeneration in interest and education of the craft in all of thecountries I visited.In discussions with Ian Dewar (Foundation member, now retired, of Dry StoneWalling Association of Great Britain) a Committee known as the Stewart Braeof Coobree had been operating for many years. Its sole function wasbasically to train interested people in dyking. The Committee held a nationalcompetition of dry stone walling every 2 years for dykers from Scotland andnorthern England however the number of profession dykers began to becomefewer and fewer.In 1968 an organisation known as the Training Agricultural Board was formed.Its purpose was to preserve and enhance the skills required in agricultural andhorticultural industries, particularly the use of apprentices and industrymanagement techniques.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 28

Members of the Stewart Brae of Coobree Committee and the TrainingIndustry Board met and discussed the commencement of training of existingconfident dykers to instruct apprentices in the craft.This subsequently led to the establishment of the Dry Stone Association ofGreat Britain – a unique Association in that it contained both professional andamateur dykers. Over the years the Association has evolved into the branchsystem. The Association also began to develop competitions which then ledto a national competition and moved into the Master Craftsman Scheme whichincorporates graded walling qualifications. The Association currently hasapproximately 1,200 members.The establishment of the Association and the Scheme has led to a revival ofthe craft throughout Great Britain. With increasing numbers of competentwallers/dykers their expertise has been sought by countries like Switzerlandand Kentucky, USA.Part of my discussions with Ian embraced the visions and/or directions of drystone walling in the UK. He pointed out a project that had been undertakenat an entranceway to the Broxton Business Park – close to his home – wherea landscape dry stone waller has created an entranceway using dry stonewalling techniques. A visit to the site revealed an artistic, but practical way ofusing dry stone walling techniques in an urban landscape.Ian’s overview is that like Australia, Britons are becoming increasinglyinterested in gardening and the structures that can be created with the use ofstone.Of particular interest in the photo below is the way in which the stone hasbeen laid to create an artistic value.Broxton Business Park entrance, Lucarty, ScotlandISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 29

Buchlyvie (between Edinburgh and Glasgow)I met Irwin Campbell, Master Craftsman, Dry Stone Walling Association ofGreat Britain at the Congress in Visp and he extended an invitation to me tovisit him and view some of his completed projects and historical sites.”Ithane”, Private residence, Balfron. Irwin constructed a front boundary fenceand gateway pillars using local stone. The construction material was tomatch slate roof tiles of the residence.Private residence, Balfron, ScotlandTorwood is the historical site of a “broch” or dry stone fort which isapproximately 2,000 years old. Torwood was built by the Pics and paid for bythe Romans. The brochs were used as observation posts by the Romans tokeep a look out from attacks by marauding barbarians from the north. Thebrochs were constructed five miles apart and stretched from Grangemouth onthe west coast to Clyde on the east coast – one of the narrowest points inGreat Britain.Ancient Broch, Torwood, ScotlandISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 30

When Irwin was President of the local branch of the DSWA of GB the branchundertook the construction of a public seat at the Falkirk Wheel Project usingdry stone walling techniques. This also highlights another avenue for thetechnique.This seat is constructed from sedimentary sandstones. The seat constructionhighlights that if this type of project was constructed in Australia it would needto encompass using stone from either Central Victoria or Sydney sandstone orstone from South Australia sedimentary deposits. In the Australian context,cartage becomes a major consideration in the costing of the commission.Public seat, Falkirk Wheel Project, Falkirk, ScotlandAt a private residence in a small local town, Fintry, Irwin has constructed anunusual landscape garden feature of a pyramid again using sedimentarysandstone. Of particular interest is the water from an underground springwhich passes through the feature and disappears back into the ground. Theflow rates of the water vary according to the amount of rainfall. Again it wasparticularly interesting to consider another application of the use of dry stonewalling technique. This type of feature, if constructed in Australia wouldrequire a softer type of sedimentary stone such as found in Sydneysandstone.Water Feature, private residence, Fintry, ScotlandISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 31

Thornhill & The DumfriesNeil Rippingale and Paul Weberly suggested I visit Hugh Drysdale, MasterCraftsman, Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain. Hugh is also oneof the best dry stone wallers in Scotland.Hugh was commissioned to construct the dry stone wall entrance and variousfeature focal points through “Marchfields” a partly completed modernresidential development. Again, the stone used in this development wassedimentary sandstone type. This project has again enabled the use of drystone walling to be constructed in an urban environment and used to greateffect as a marketing/selling tool for the developers.Poortrac House is a private residence in the lowlands of southern Scotland.The estate is approximately 25 acres and features contemporary gardens.The work of Charles Jencks, one of the leading advocates of post-modernarchitecture and his late wife, garden designer and historian, Maggie Keswick.It is a place of lakes, steep folding and spiralling hills, precipitous changes inelevation, serpentine dry stone walls, and wave-patterned gates and fences.– free standing dry stone walls and retaining walls; used as landscape gardenfeatures. Hugh, under direction from Jencks undertook constructions ofvarious concepts which he envisaged in the layout of Jencks “garden ofcosmic speculation”.Feature wall, Poortrac House, The Dumfries, ScotlandSlaithwate, DerbyshireBefore leaving Australia I contacted Paul Weberly, Chairman, Dry StoneWalling Association of Great Britain. Paul invited me to visit him fordiscussions and site visits.We visited a local private residence where Paul had been involved in theconstruction of various landscape features using dry stone walling techniquesusing sedimentary sandstone which as shown in the photograph has anISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 32

enduring ability to merge with the landscape as mosses can readily grow onthe slowly decomposing stone.Vegetable garden retaining wall, private residence,Slaithwaite,Derbyshire, UKSkilton – we visited a project undertaken by the local branch of the Dry StoneWalling Association encompassing the various features that have been usedin wall construction for agricultural reasons – letting water flow through a wall,letting sheep pass through a wall, letting people climb over a wall. The wallsare all constructed from local stone collected from within the district.DSWA local branch project, Skilton, UKISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 33

Paul and I took the opportunity of viewing “The Millennium Wall”. Paul, in hiscapacity as Chairman of the Association had been very involved in theadministration and construction of the Wall. It was constructed in the year2000 built in small sections of standard height dry stone walls using localstone from all the different branches of the Dry Stone Walling Associationacross Great Britain. The wall was constructed over a weekend by membersof every branch of the Association throughout Britain.Memorial plaque in The Millennium WallA section of wall using local stone from one of the districts that iscovered by the DSWA of Great BritainISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 34

A section of wall using local stone in a different format from one of thedistricts that is covered by the DSWA of Great BritainThe CotswoldsThe Cotswolds are a well known area of dry stone walling construction inBritain.I travelled to The Cotswolds following my meeting with Jacqui Simkins,Secretary, Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain at The MillenniumWall.Jacqui and I viewed various sites through The Cotswolds. The walls in thispart of the country are largely constructed using local limestone. In the timeavailable I tried to visit limestone quarries which unfortunately were closed.Private residence, The Cotswolds, UKISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 35

Private Estate, The Cotswolds, UKWall end, free standing wall, The Cotswolds, UKISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 36

USA:9 September – 14 September, 2002Paris Turnpike, Lexington, KentuckyGrey rock fences built of ancient limestone are hallmarks of Kentucky’sBluegrass landscape. The earliest settlers in Kentucky built dry stone fencesaround farms, cemeteries and mills. Fence building increased dramaticallyduring the 19 th century so that by the 1880’s dry stone walls lined most roadsand fields and farmyards throughout the Bluegrass. Farmers also built orcommissioned dry stone walls in New England, the Nashville Basin, and theTexas hill country, but the Bluegrass may have had the most extensivecollection of quarried dry stone walls in North America.Hence my interest in visiting to establish the extent to which dry stone wallingwhich followed Irish and Scottish models has been re-established in Kentucky.I visited works in progress at two key sites located on the outskirts ofLexington, Kentucky.The restoration of original styles of dry stone walling which has beenundertaken when the area had originally been established under Europeansettlement.Great care and research was undertaken by the Dry Stone Conservancy leadby Carolyn Murray-Wooley and Karl Raitz. Both are members of the Board ofDirectors for the Conservancy. To enact the construction the Dry StoneWalling Association of Great Britain was contacted and numerous mastercraftsmen were screened for their adaptability to work with local masons andtrain workers in the craft of dry stone walling. The person who best fitted thebill was in fact my previous acquaintance/friend, Neil Rippingale fromEdinburgh. Apart from being a Master Craftsman of the Dry Stone WallingAssociation of Great Britain, Neil is the recipient of the Association’s highestaward bestowed – “The Pinnacle Award” presented to him by HRH PrincessAnne.It was through this contact that I had the ability to travel to Kentucky to viewthe works in progress.Both Leatherwood and Elmendorf Farms which are located on the outskirts ofLexington are within approximately a 5 minute drive between each project.The stone being used at both projects is a limestone of metamorphic origin.It has the ability to be cleaved apart using hammers more adapted for theselocal conditions.The photographs below give a comparison between the two sites underconstruction which were visited in Lexington.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 37

Elmendorf site – Bourbon Quarry StoneLeatherwood site – Mercer Quarry StoneIn the photos you can see that the Elmendorf site stone came from theBourbon Quarry which was of a much chunkier dimension as compared thestone for Leatherwood where the stone was of a finer coursed material.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 38

Mercer Quarry, note thinner coursed stoneBourbon Quarry, note thicker coursed stoneISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 39

Neil Rippingale and I visited the private residence and property of Dr BerleClay, Director, Dry Stone Conservancy, just outside Paris, Kentucky (anhour’s drive from Lexington) where we inspected an historical quarry site anddimension dry stone walling used in the construction of a well.Dry stone constructed well at Dr Berle’s property just outside Paris,KentuckyStone quarry where stone was sourced for construction of fences on DrBerle’s property such as the well aboveISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 40

Whilst in Lexington I had discussions with Carolyn and Jane Murray-Wooley,Directors, of Dry Stone Conservancy based in Lexington, Kentucky.Discussions were based around the establishment and history of, and workcarried out by, the Conservancy.During my discussions with Jane, I was provided with a copy of Paper No. 356– Retaining Wall for Hill Roads by Dr A S Arya and V P Gupta from theJournal of the Indian Roads Congress, Volume 44-1 November 1983. On myreturn to Victoria, my employer and I have enlisted a civil engineeringcompany to assist us to conduct an experiment based on the informationgained from Fellowship travels. The experiment will test the applicationcontained in the paper in an effort to possibly establish the standard for futuredevelopment of dry stone retaining walls in Australia.I also met with Dr Karl Raitz, Professor of Geography, University of Kentucky,Lexington and a member of the Board of Directors of Dry Stone Conservancy.Dr Raitz is an authority on rock fences, their history and construction in theKentucky Bluegrass district.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 41

4. RECOMMENDATIONS4.1 The opportunityIt is only in recent times that dry stone construction in Australia has movedfrom its rural confines where the craft was practiced to construct fences andproperty boundaries. The few landscape designers who have incorporateddry stone walling techniques into domestic designs have been restricted towalling and changes of level – both retaining and freestanding wallconstruction.Edna Walling foresaw the value of stone construction in her garden designcriteria. If we are to build on dry stone work originating from her designs, thecraft will have to be lifted from its recent declining history and into a variety ofusages for the built environment that encompasses the aesthetic value ofstone in our lives today and be open to be incorporated into an alreadyestablished educational curriculum.Gardens were once the domain of the wealthy, but with the increasingpopularity of gardening and lifestyle television shows (free to air and paid);magazines, newspapers, articles, etc. peoples’ interest/imagination has beenheightened.As such, it is the ideal opportunity for a revival and expansion of the craft.By doing so, techniques could be applied not only to residentialgardening/landscaping works, but also in the construction of functional anddecorative projects as part of public and domestic landscaping and in generalto the built environment.Malvern Valley Golf Course, East MalvernThere are many opportunities for a range of dry stone work constructions ie.features in atriums in buildings; art pieces in public spaces ; corporate teambuilding exercises; public exhibitions showcasing both heritage andcontemporary work; entranceways to business parks.From an environmental viewpoint, dry stone walls can be used to create focalpoints, to provide shade and shelter to an exposed area or as a retaining wall.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 42

Walls provide a splendid habitat to many species of small birds and animals,insects and plants; and because the materials used are natural, the wallsblend harmoniously into the landscape.Dry stone walls are sustainable in that they are fireproof, and with a littleregular attention will outlast any form of fencing.4.2 The ProblemThe dry stone walling industry today is virtually non-existent, other than for avery limited number of practitioners who have a comprehensive understandingof the craft.There is a danger of dry stone walling falling into disrepute because of thelack of training programs available other than small courses undertaken inbasic dry stone walling outside the mainstream education system.However, by lifting the profile of dry stone work, I have two concerns:a. The demand may well outstrip supply of available qualified labour,which could have a detrimental flow on effect, in the sense that workcould be undertaken with little understanding of what is entailed in theproper construction of any dry stone work.Unless there is an increase in the number of qualified practitioners inthe marketplace to carry out works, the situation will continue to cast ashadow over the industry.b. The rapid suburbanization of rural regions and policies generated bygovernment departments could mean the closure of small quarries thusdecreasing the amount of available stone for work of a general naturewhich is incorporated into garden feature work where sedimentarystone would be used in construction.As we move into the 21 st century the world becomes a smaller place,policies made in metropolitan cities could have lasting effect onrural/regional areas which may not be generally understood, such asthe situation with the extractive industries in Central Victoria and thedeclaration of new National Parks. This could have a lasting effect onthe future of dry stone work and the landscape industry in general asVictoria would in the long term be forced to seek substitute and/orimport stone.A recent past example has been the plan to renovate and undertakeadditional construction works in the Victorian State Parliament House. Thestone required was located in a quarry, which has not been in production forsome years in The Grampians National Park and was therefore deemed out ofbounds for the extractive industry to return to production. Although the stonefrom this quarry was not to be used in dry stone construction, it neverthelesshighlights the effect of stone quarry closures that have little or no forethoughtto the future of the built environment.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 43

4.3 Other pertinent comments:In Victoria’s situation, the four main construction stone materials are basaltfield boulders and quarried rock spalds, Castlemaine slate and Castlemainesandstone. These are all currently locally obtainable.As indicated in the main body of my report, basalt field boulders and quarriedstone other than sedimentary deposited stone are limited in their constructionto free standing and dry stone wall work – this is due to the fact that there areno bedding planes in the boulders and quarried rock spalds which are eithertoo hard to be easily dressed with a hammer, or too brittle and splintery.These rocks are easily obtainable to the landscape industry and have becomeentrenched in landscaped gardens since the 1970’s when there was a movetowards native garden design which was brought about through EdnaWalling’s earlier involvement in stonework in the Australian context.In the case of Castlemaine slate and, to a lesser extent, sandstone – therelative cost for dry stone feature work, as compared with basalt bouldersand/or quarried rock spalds for walling, becomes more relevant at the point ofsale. The cost of purchasing Castlemaine slate which is based on a squaremetre rate rather than a cubic metre rate as is the case with basalt fieldboulders. Castlemaine sandstone is only supplied through a one-personowned and operated quarry. It is for this reason that supply of the sandstoneis sporadic and can lead to demand outstripping supply.My reason for highlighting the above is that the majority of stone used for drystone work (outside the standard dry stone wall) within Victoria is restricted toCastlemaine slate and Castlemaine sandstone.Whilst it is possible to obtain stone from other States of Australia, it wouldincrease the cost of any project undertaken.4.4 The SolutionTo ensure that the solutions to this identified skills gap are of lasting value, thecraft needs to be widened at the base and built upwards.Industry establishes a vertical integration strategy. The following chain wouldneed to be incorporated into the strategy with education on a human scalethrough all levels of the strategy:! Professions (building & landscape architects, engineers, urbandesigners, landscape designers, landscape contractors, stonemasons).! Incorporation into relevant courses of basic training andunderstanding of how walls are constructed, includingoccupational health and safety process.! Extractive industries.! Listing of Australian Quarries with available suitable stone foruse in construction of dry stone work and their present dayrequirements for procurement. Initially in Victoria and then intoISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 44

quarries interstate where coursed flat bedded stone could beobtained.! Media.! Undertake a selective three tier marketing campaign:Action Plan1 st Tier – release of general targeted media articles alertinginterested parties that craft is commencing initial stages ofrecovery.2 nd Tier – to establish interest in the craft and identify those whoare willing and able to participate in a creditable course program(both professionals, eg architects/engineers, local governmentand other interested parties).3 rd Tier – release of general media articles outlining results of 1 stand 2 nd Tiers and showing the possibilities being explored in avariety of disciplines.! Due care needs to be taken that the process is established in alogical manner to ensure the market does not becomeoverheated and that parts of the setting up processes are notoverlooked.I think it is necessary to undertake a four pronged approach as outlined below:Education:! The initial immediate approach would be the development andimplementation of Short Courses in the Western District where drystone walling has been established as the main fencing technique.This would give participants a sound base understanding of the craft.Building on the already existing surrounds will add a heightenedawareness and bring a greater pragmatic appreciation in a condensedperiod of time. These courses would be open to all professionaldisciplines as noted in The Solution above.! Establish a program to “Train the Trainers”The program would require guidance from appropriate members of DryStone Walling Association of Great Britain. 1Discussions would need to be held with appropriategovernment/education/industry bodies to gauge interest in obtainingsponsorship of appropriate trainers from the UK training futureAustralian trainers.! Ensure that basic training in the principles of dry stone walling/work isincorporated into relevant TAFE Landscape/Horticultural courses.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 45

! Establishment of Scholarships – Overseas Training Programs andResearch Fellowships to enable levels of competency in dry stonewalling to be undertaken and to allow for cross-fertilisation of ideas,understanding of local conditions, features, techniques and varieties ofapplication.Development of appropriate tools for the industry:! Development of literature relating to walling in general – build on thevariety of pamphlets sold by the Dry Stone Walling Association of GreatBritain from technical specifications through to the CraftsmanCertification Scheme. Such literature to include a relevant pamphletbased on Australian geology in areas where the construction of wallshas been undertaken over time.! Establishment of network of practising and/or part time dry stonewallers. This is of particular interest and has a direct link to theeducation points raised above.! Full understanding of occupational health and safety issues relevant toand included in basic training courses.Value added aspects – Conferences, Seminars, Workshops, etc:! The Trainers could then make themselves available to attend andpresent papers at relevant conferences and forums in all professionaldisciplines as outlined above - building & landscape architects,engineers, urban designers, landscape designers, landscapecontractors, stonemasons.! The Trainers would be involved in the development of workshops andseminars both in a rural and metropolitan environment showing stonevariety and its applications.Skills Bank:Compile a list of practitioners and their capabilities/qualifications on theSkills Bank database being developed by ISS Institute.Networking:! Establish an Annual Exhibition – which encapsulates all aspects of drystone construction. Such Exhibition could be organised through thenewly established Dry Stone Walling Association of Australia and couldprovide a forum for the photographic exhibition including historicalinformation and current work undertaken through the TAFE system,public and private commissions and on site practical examples ofconstruction. A very early discussion with a person on the St HeliersArt Precinct Board has brought a positive response. This area couldalso be seen as a springboard to public awareness.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 46

Obviously, any such exhibitions would have humble beginnings andprogress as the training programs become reality.4.6 My perspectiveFrom my perspective, dry stone walling/work has an aesthetic appeal whichhas not generally been appreciated outside of the field that I have practicedfor the last thirty years – Landscape Gardening.The fact is that dry stone walling/work has a basic down to earth movement.Regretfully, it has not been seen as useful other than an agrarianphilosophy/practice.As we have entered an age of environmental awareness it can be seen thatthis dry stone work can be brought into our environmentally developingconsciousness.We have reached this point in time and to develop beyond will mean thatchallenges will need to be met in almost all levels of the craft.These challenges have been outlined throughout this report. Whilst Solutionsand Action Plans are listed, I have never seen this as a quick fix. To educatethe marketplace (including practitioners, educationalists, clients/consumers)strategies, which are both short and long-term, are required with the focus onniche areas.A dry stone structure constructed in the built environment in private or publicspaces, is worth a thousand words.This is the way dry stone walling/work will survive. The craft, like dry stonework, needs to stand on its own – connecting nature, space and the earth –without a word. The reality of dry stone work will then be recognised as astructure held together with nothing but man’s ingenuity.1It is clear from discussions with members of the Dry Stone Conservancy in Kentuckyregarding the establishment of such a program during the mid 1990’s that Australia has muchto gain by building on the results of the introduction of such programs in the USA. Therecommendation from the Conservancy is to ensure that Trainers are trained by accreditedmembers of the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain before long term or ongoingeducation of professionals and interested parties commences. This would follow on from 3.2Education (see above).ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 47

Appendix 1 - GlossaryThe terms below are based on terminology used in dry stone walling in GreatBritain.Commonly used terms“A” frameBase StoneBatterBee BoleBuck & DueBuilding StoneCapping StoneCheekendsConsumption DykeCopestonesCorner StoneCourseCoverbandDoubling or DoubleDykingFoundationGap or GappingMeaningsIs a wooden or metal frame used as a guide whenbuilding a wall.See “Foundation”.This is the inward taper of the wall from base to top.A niche constructed in the wall to provide a shelf andshelter for bee skeps or occasionally for hives.Copestones arranged alternatively with large and smallstones to give a castellated effect. Called “cock andhen” in The Cotswalds, UK.See “Doubling or Double Dyking”.See “Cope Stones”.See “Wall Head”.Wall built with stone to clear the land and which isespecially wide. Also called “clearance wall” andaccretion wall”.The top stones – the stones along the top of the wall togive weight and protection. Also called “cams”, “tops”,“toppers”.Used in the construction of wall in turning a sharp bend.Much the same as a cheekend.Horizontal layer of stones placed in a wall.Large stones placed across width of wall to form basefor the copestones in some areas.Term used for a dry stone wall built with two faces ofstones, packed with hearting between.The first layer of large stones in the base of the wall,also called “footing” or “found”.A breach in a dry stone wall. Gapping is the repair of itand the “gapper” is a dyker who carries out the repair.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 48

Commonly used termsHeartingLevelLunkie HoleMeaningsThe small stones used as filling or packing in a doublewall.Spirit level.Passageway through wall to allow sheep access toother side but preventing cattle from crossing. Alsocalled cripple hole, hogg hole or thirl hole.Mash hammer Small hammer between 1.5 and 3 kgs in weight –usually with a rectangular head.Mawling hammerPinnings / PinsRetaining WallSeemingSingle DykeSledge HammerSmootStileString LinesThroughstonesTrace WallingWall EndsWall HeadWalling FramesWalling PinsA large axe-like sledge hammer used in shaping ofwallends and/or copestones.Small, usually tapering stones used to wedge buildingstones firmly in place.Dry stone wall built into the cut face of a bank to preventthe soil from moving down the slope.Running joint on a vertical axis on either side of the wall.Wall built with single stones going the width of the wall.See “Mawling Hammer”.Small passageway through wall to allow rabbits, etc. tocross the wall. Also called “pen hole” and “pop hole”.(Strictly Great Britain usage.)Special construction to allow pedestrians through orover the wall, but retaining livestock.String lines used in the building industry – to ensure astraight line.Heavy, large stones placed at regular intervals along thewall to tie the two sides together.Placing of stones along face of wall rather than placinglength of stone into the wall for strength.See “Wall Head”.Vertical end to a length of wall. Also called “cheekend”.See “A Frames”.Used as a substitute for “A” Frame.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 49

Appendix 2 – List of Reference MaterialsThe Vision of Edna Walling – Trisha Dixon & Jennie Churchill.If these walls could talk - Report of the Corangamite Dry Stone WallsConservation Project.Built to Last: The History and Archaeology of Dry Stone Walls inMelbourne’s Western Region – Gary VinesRock Fences of the Bluegrass – Murray-Wooley & Raitz.Rock Fences and Preadaptation, Karl Raitz, Vol 85 No. 1 January 1995;Geographical Review.Discussions undertaken with:Brian Maltby, Castlemaine Slate (Taradale)Mark Halliday, Associate, Beveridge QuarryStan Shepherd (Campbell’s Creek Quarry, Castlemaine) – NB: as of 19thDecember, 2002, Stan Shepherd’s quarry has been closed until at leastthe end of January, 2003.ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 50

Appendix 3 – Supporting Documents8 th Internation Drystone Walling Congress 2002:Congress ProgramDaily ProgramFellowship ItineraryISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 51

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A Special Note of ThanksI would like to acknowledge the following individuals and organisations fortheir assistance and contributions during my time spent working on Dry Stoneprojects and finally the formulating of this report.The following lists are alphabetical by surname/organisation’s name and I amvery grateful to each and every person mentioned.Thank you,David Long.INDIVIDUALSAustraliaJosie Black – Secretary, Corangamite Arts Council Inc.Carolynne Bourne – Executive Director, International Specialised SkillsInstitute Inc.Lyn Hall – Friend who worked tirelessly on reportBill Harlock – Farmer/Dry Stone Waller, Pomberneit, Victoria (Dec’d.)Felix Hemingway – Manager, Urban Design, Whitehorse City CouncilAndrew Miller – Engineer, City of BallaratKenneth Neff – Development Manager, GSA Bloodstock Pty. Ltd. (Victoria)Maudie Palmer – Maudie Palmer & Associates Pty. Ltd.Nathan Perkins – Master Craftsman of Dry Stone Walling Association(DSWA) of Great Britain (former)Ruth Pollard – Lecturer in Horticulture, Chandler Institute, Werribee,Melbourne UniversityOverseasIrwin Campbell – Master Craftsman, DSWA of Great Britain (Scotland)Seamus Campbell – Master Craftsman, DSWA of Great Britain (Scotland)Berle Clay – Member, Board of Directors, Dry Stone Conservancy,Lexington Kentucky (USA)Ian Dewar – Foundation member (now retired), DSWA of Great Britain(Scotland)Hugh Drysdale – Master Craftsman DSWA of Great Britain (Dumfries)ISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 64

Karl Raitz – Professor of Geography University of Kentucky, Lexington(USA). Member of Board of Directors, Dry Stone Conservancy, Lexington,Kentucky (USA)Carolyn Murray-Wooley – Director, Dry Stone Conservancy, Lexington,Kentucky (USA)Jane Murray-Wooley - Director, Dry Stone Conservancy, Lexington,Kentucky (USA)Neil Rippingale – Master Craftsman and examiner of the DSWA of GreatBritain and receipient of The Pinnacle Award (Scotland)Jacqui Simkins – Secretary, DSWA of Great Britain (West Midlands)Paul Weberly – Chairman and Master Craftsman of DSWA of Great Britain(Derbyshire)ORGANISATIONSDry Stone Conservancy, Lexington, Kentucky, USADry Stone Walling Association of Great BritainInternational Specialised Skills Institute Inc. and the Selection Committee,Camberwell, Melbourne, AustraliaSPONSORSHIPMaster Builders Association, Melbourne, AustraliaISSI Inc Fellowship Report, David Long - 2003 65